College Collage

I've been reading a lot about college admissions.

Save yourself hours of reading with these highlights:

The September 2009 issue of US News & World Report claims that a third of college freshmen will drop out after that year, and another 20% before graduation.

In America, women make up the majority of co-ed student bodies.

Florida State University declares a black graduation rate of 72%, higher than that of whites.

In Britain, most high school graduates take a "gap year," before college, during which they travel, work, or volunteer.

While colleges struggle to accommodate students with dwindling funding, some consider privatization.

Admissions essays to Ivy League schools earn big points for proving why the college is a match. Standardized test scores (like the SAT) are under scrutiny.

If money's an object, as it is for the vast majority of the nation, the ends of the spectrum are suggested. Try community college, which enroll 6 million students in the U.S, and which are emerging in the academic recession as financially and curricularly savvy. Or aim high--for Harvard, Princeton, or Stanford, the top 1, 2, and 4 financial-friendly schools.